


You Will Always Have A Family With Me

by Nikka001



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Concerned Buck, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, Love Confessions, M/M, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension, emergency contact
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2021-01-16 06:38:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21266681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nikka001/pseuds/Nikka001
Summary: When Eddie is taken to the hospital after another late night of fighting, his Emergency Contact shows up to take him home.





	You Will Always Have A Family With Me

**Author's Note:**

> So, I started writing this after 3x05 but wasn't actually able to get it done and posted before 3x06 as I had planned so instead, here's just some wishful thinking about how they could've reconciled after that dumbass lawsuit business. 
> 
> Enjoy! XoXo

It’s nearly 2:30 in the morning when Buck is woken from a deep sleep by the shrill trill of his phone. He doesn’t think much about who might be on the other end of the line when he answers it; only that they better have a good reason for calling so damn early. It’s a woman whose voice echos his own. She says her name is Francine and that she’s a nurse in the Emergency Department of the local Hospital. When she finally gets around to explaining that they have a patient by the name of ‘Diaz’ in their Emergency Room, Buck is hanging up the phone and out the door as fast as he is physically able.

Buck pushes his way through the front doors and into the Emergency Room, only stopping once to let an older lady past before he continues on his path to the Nurses station. The nurse sitting behind the desk, a handsome young blonde man, smiles up at Buck when he approaches the desk.

“Hi, can I help you?”

“Yeah uh, my name is Evan Buckley. I’m here as an emergency pick-up for Christopher Diaz.”

The nurse glances down at his computer screen and scrolls before his brow furrows and he looks back up at Buck, “What did you say the name was again?”

“Diaz. Christopher Diaz.”

With one more look and several more scrolls, the nurse shakes his head. “I’m sorry. We don’t have anyone admitted under that name. The only Diaz we have is an Edmundo Diaz.”

Buck sucks in a sharp breath and lets himself relax some now that he knows it’s not Christopher that’s waiting for him. Once he’s processed everything to his fullest extent, he runs through all of the reasons why Eddie could possibly be in the Emergency Room. When he can’t think of a single one, he sighs and asks politely for the room number. The nurse - Samson, as he says - willingly gives him the number and directs him in the way to go before sending him off with a smile and a wave. 

It takes him a lot longer than he’d care to ever admit but finally, he manages to locate room 214. The door is closed but he can hear muffled speaking on the other side. One voice he recognizes immediately as Eddies but the other one is foreign to his ears. He takes a moment, standing in front of the door, debating on whether he should interrupt the conversation taking place or not. On one hand, if he does knock then Eddie will get mad at him for interrupting them. While on the other hand, if he doesn’t knock and Eddie opens the door to find him standing there, then he’ll get mad and accuse him of eavesdropping. Either way, Eddie will be mad at him so, at this point, there’s no winning. 

Taking a deep shuddering breath in, Buck raises his hand and knocks lightly. The voices cease almost immediately and within seconds the door swings open. Standing on the other side is a slender young lady, a doctor, in a white coat and blue scrubs. Her hair is pulled back into a low bun and a stethoscope rests on her shoulders.

She gives Buck a soft smile. “Can I help you?”

Buck hesitates when he spots Eddie sat upright on the hospital bed, his shirt already being pulled back on and face void of all emotion.

“I’m uh, Evan Buckley. Here to pick up Eddie.”

Her smile widens slightly and her eyes seem to light up. “Oh! Right, of course. Thank you so much for coming, Mr. Buckley. Please, come in.”

Buck returns the smile as he steps into the room, though it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. Taking notice of the tension filling the air, the young doctor looks between the two men before politely excusing herself and exiting the room. The sound of the door shutting behind her is loud enough to wake the dead. 

Neither man says anything as Eddie finishes tying up the laces on his boots and Buck waits patiently by the door, shifting his weight back and forth from one foot to the other. There’s so much that Buck wants to say but, he knows that this isn’t the time or the place. So, trying to keep his mind occupied until Eddie decides he’s ready to leave, Buck thinks of all the ways to say what he’s been trying to say over the last year. 

“You didn’t have to come you know. I would’ve been fine on my own.” Eddie finally speaks as he slips into his jacket and grabs his wallet from the chair next to the bed. 

“Yeah. I know but, they called me-”

Eddie cuts him off with a firm look. “Well, they shouldn’t have.”

If Eddie saw the last sliver of hope behind Buck’s eyes die, then he said nothing. The words didn’t hurt so much as the weight of what they meant. Eddie hated him. Didn’t want him involved in a single part of his life. Buck doesn’t blame him. He knows what he’s done and he knows that he deserves every bit of hostility that’s thrown at him. It’s why he doesn’t argue. Instead, he does the only thing he can think of. The only thing he’s been doing for the last several months. 

Apologize.

“I’m sorry alright. I’m sorry I showed up.”

“Yeah well, you can just go then,” Eddie spits out sharply as he pushes past Buck and out the door into the hallway, “and take your apologies with you. I’ve heard enough to last me a lifetime.”

Eddie only manages to make it halfway down the hallway before Buck is rushing after him. Reaching out, Buck grabs Eddie’s arm to stop him from exiting out the doors at the end of the hallway.

“Eddie, wait. Please, just listen to me okay?” 

“Save it, Buck,” Eddie growls out under his breath while yanking his arm away and continuing to trudge down the hall. He pushes the doors open and storms into the waiting room, startling the few moms and their children that sat along the walls. 

He can still hear Buck calling out his name and it takes everything in him to not turn around, grab him and slam him up against the wall. It’s the only thing that’s been on his mind for the last few weeks at it’s driving him crazy. He hates how much he wants Buck but the more he hates him, the more he wants him. 

It’s not until he reaches the parking lot and Buck yells at him, that he finally stops.

“Dammit Eddie, why can’t you just say we’re okay? Everybody else seems to have forgiven me already. Hell, even Bobby is making an effort. So what is it huh? Why can’t you?” 

Eddie knows he’s right. He’s the only one that hasn’t forgiven Buck yet. He wants to, but there’s just so much anger. 

“I just can’t alright.” His voice trembles when he speaks. 

Buck takes a step closer. He’s not giving Eddie a chance to run this time. “Why not?”

Something inside of Eddie just snaps. He whips around and shouts, “Because you left me!”

His words are like a slap across Buck’s face. “Eddie...I didn’t-”

“Yes Evan,” he marches forward, all of the anger finally boiling over inside of him, “you did. You may not have  _ left _ left, but you still left. You agreed to not see any of us, all to go after some vendetta you have against Bobby.”

Buck shakes his head at Eddie’s accusation. “That’s not what it was about. It wasn’t just because of Bobby alright.” 

“Then what was it about Buck, huh?” He reaches out and shoves Buck back a little. Not enough to hurt him, but just enough to emphasize how angry he actually is, “You’re gonna have to explain cause apparently I don’t know anything.” 

Buck snaps and shoves Eddie right back even harder. “It was about you, you jerk!”

“What?” Eddie stumbles from the force but manages to keep his balance, all while keeping his eyes locked on Buck.

“It was about  **all ** of you. You guys were my family but still, none of you fought for me to come back. I was left with no one! Everything that makes me me, is gone. My job, my family, hell, even my dignity now with the damn lawsuit.”

Eddie doesn’t know why, but suddenly all of the rage and anger he felt before, is somehow just gone. Instead, it’s replaced by guilt. So much guilt at not realizing sooner how much his best friend was actually hurting. It never dawned on him that not being able to see anybody, was probably hurting Buck a lot more than any of them. 

“Buck,” Eddie takes a cautious step forward, not quite sure how to approach the situation just yet, “you know we’re still your family. Of course, we fought for you to come back but, you’ve gotta know that we can only fight so hard before someone finally knocks us down. We tried alright, I promise we tried.”

There’s no holding back now. Too many emotions are being drawn out and left in the open for all to see. Whatever is said now, are things that they can’t take back. The tears that spring to Buck’s eyes, are tears that will forever stain this moment. 

“I just-I want my life back Eddie. I want my family back.”

“Who says you ever lost it, huh?” Eddie steps closer and reaches out with both hands to grab Buck by the shoulders. He holds him there and looks him in the eye with a soft smile, one he reserves only for them.

Shaking his head, Buck sniffles. “No. I mean, I know I have the rest of the team behind me. They’re back with me but, I’m not talking about them.”

“Then who--”

“You and Christopher. You guys are my family and when I went through with that lawsuit, I lost you both.” He barely manages to get the last words out before more tears are cascading down his face. 

Eddie hates this. Seeing the only other person he loves in so much pain, it cuts deep and he’s not quite sure that even he can fix it. But he’ll be damned if he doesn’t at least try. 

“Hey,” Eddie moves one hand to below Buck’s chin and lifts his head so their eyes can meet, “do I look lost to you? I’m right here okay. I’m not going anywhere. And neither is Christopher I can promise you that.”

“But--”

“No. No buts alright. I know that I’ve been a little cold with you these last few weeks and I’m sorry. I didn’t think about how you’ve been dealing with all of this and for that, I am sorry too. If I had known it was gonna go this way, I would’ve fought harder to keep you with us. Hell, there’s a lot of things I should’ve done sooner but-”

Eddies’ words are cut off when Buck’s hands come up to rest on his waist, fingers brushing against the sliver of skin that is exposed between the hem of his shirt and waistband of his jeans. His breath hitches in his throat, this is the closest they’ve ever really been since everything happened and it’s wonderful. 

“Like what?” Buck questions, his voice low and soft. It’s like music to Eddies’ ears and it makes his heart soar. 

He stumbles over his response, “I don’t--I mean, well, there’s uh-- there are lots of--”

Buck’s hands pull him closer, the distance between them shortening inch by inch. He hesitates, “Like kissing me?”

His voice is hopeful and softer than Eddie’s ever heard it before. He loves this side of Buck. The side that not many people get to see. Just him, Christopher, Maddie, and the rest of their family at the 118. The look in his eyes sparks something in Eddie. Something that he’s been pressing down for too long and now, he wants nothing more than to let that spark ignite into something wonderful.

“Yeah Evan,” he says while a smile grows on his face, “like kissing you. Is that okay?”

“It’s more than okay.” 

In one confident movement, Buck's lips are pressing up against Eddies. It takes less than a second for Eddie to respond to the sudden contact, his hands immediately going to Buck's waist and pulling him in closer so their bodies are flush with one another. They hold each other close, both scared to let the other one go. 

Only when they require air, do the two men finally pull apart and rest their foreheads against the others. They breathe in the shared air between them, both relishing in the sudden significance of the moment. Their smiles match each other’s, so full of hope, wonder and most of all, love.

“Evan Buckley, I...I love you.”

Bucks smile seems to grow even wider than before and tears spring up in his eyes once again. “Eddie Diaz, I love you too.”


End file.
